Dalai Lama urges China to take 'practical measures in governing Tibet'

Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has asked China to take practical measures in its governance of Tibet, calling its 'authoritarian crackdown' on the Tibetan people an 'unrealistic policy'.

Tibet's spiritual leader said the more his people are oppressed, the more they will seek autonomy. 

According to a media report, the Dalai Lama’s speech in Yokohama was an apparent message to the Chinese Communist Party's incoming leaders. 

Tibetans have suffered extreme political and religious oppression under China''s rule. 

Dozens of ethnic Tibetans have set themselves on fire in heavily inhabited Tibetan regions since March 2011 to protest what activists say is Beijing''s heavy-handed rule in the region. 

Many have called for the return of the Dalai Lama.